ABC Director seeks protection from police arrest

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 October 2007, 09:28 GMT]Director General of the ABC News Network, A. Samantha Rainer Silva,
filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court Tuesday
seeking protection from being arrested by the police. This petition
follows the withdrawal of licence to the ABC news network that
resulted in the closure of five radio stations of the ABC network
since October 26 Friday, legal sources said.

The petitioner states that he has been asked to appear at the police
headquarters in Colombo to make a statement in regard to the news item
broadcast by news channels of the ABC on October 24 through Media
Ministry Secretary and Hambantota ASP in writing. This has created
fear in the minds of the petitioner that the police would arrest him
once he reports to the police headquarters. Hence the petitioner begs
court to issue restraining order on the respondents not to arrest the
petitioner and to ensure his fundamental rights, as all citizens are
equal under the law of the land.